New Benchmarking Contract – Delays in Reporting

The City of Chicago is currently undergoing a competitive purchasing process for a Chicago Energy Benchmarking Program Manager. As a result, our process for exemptions, new benchmarking IDs, review of submitted data, and assistance to building owners have been delayed. Please email benchmarking@cityofchicago.org and your request for support will be processed once the new contract is in place.

The City of Chicago has released the 2021 Chicago Energy Benchmarking Report.

Under the Chicago Energy Benchmarking Ordinance, the City reports annually on energy findings and trends, and the ordinance authorizes the City to share building-specific data with the public beginning with buildings' second year of reported information.

Benchmarking Compliance

The compliance deadline for benchmarking reports is June 1. As a reminder, energy benchmarking reports are due annually from all properties, and data verification is required once every three years. To determine if you are required to verify data this year, check the compliance notification letter sent by the City, which you should receive by mid to late March. You can also find the year of next verification on the Covered Buildings List.

The City is now accepting 2025 benchmarking reports (2024 data). If you are ready to report, click here to send your data via ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.

New to reporting? Please review the Chicago Energy Benchmarking Ordinance to determine if your building is required to report. Then, follow our instructions on getting started on reporting. If you believe your building has reported in the past, double check to make sure it is included on the Covered Buildings List. 

Please be advised that communications from unauthorized third party service providers may contain inaccurate information regarding City benchmarking requirements. All official communications from the City regarding benchmarking compliance will be clearly marked as a “CITY OF CHICAGO OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION.”  As a reminder, the City of Chicago provides helpful tools and resources and the Building Energy Hub, a partner of the City of Chicago, and a fully staffed Help Desk to assist building contacts meet Chicago energy benchmarking requirements, at no cost. 

Chicago Energy Rating System

The Chicago Energy Rating System improves the visibility and transparency of the information reported under Chicago Energy Benchmarking. Some of the benefits of this update are provided in this summary, and this FAQ document provides answers to frequently asked questions. The full ordinance can be downloaded here.

For more information, visit the Chicago Energy Rating System website.

Taking Action on Energy Efficiency

Have you benchmarked one or more buildings, and are looking to take the next steps on energy efficiency? Click here to learn about suggestions and resources for starting to improve the energy performance of your property(ies).

Quick Links:

• View a sample building notification letter
• Download the Benchmarking Guide
• View the free training videos
• Report energy benchmarking data to the City (ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager)
• Review the Covered Buildings List
• View the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The menu below provides a full list of the resources available on this website. Click one of the buttons below for an Overview, or find detailed Instructions, Training, Request Forms, or Results & Analysis: